On June 3, the US Supreme Court ruled in Maryland v. King, by a 5-4 vote, that collecting DNA from individuals arrested for serious crimes was not a violation of the Fourth Amendment. Three days later, the Senate passed legislation allowing for the collection of DNA from any person arrested for a variety of offenses, including some banking violations. Under current Rhode Island law, DNA can only be collected from individuals convicted of certain felonies; the ACLU testified that collecting from individuals who have merely been arrested for a crime undermined the presumption of innocence and was a dangerous step towards the creation of a comprehensive DNA database. Additionally, the ACLU argued, such an expansion of DNA testing would place a significant burden on the Department of Health, exacerbating an existing backlog and delaying justice in those cases where DNA is a critical investigatory element. The legislation died when it failed to receive a vote in the House Judiciary committee.Read our written testimony here.
DNA Testing of Arrestees (H 5205, S 0041)
Sponsors
Representative Brian Patrick Kennedy and Senator David Bates
Related Issues
Related content

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS: Recreational Marijuana in RI
November 29, 2022LETTER Re: BCI Procedures for School Volunteers
October 24, 2022
TESTIMONY Re: Draft Body-Worn Camera Regulations
August 4, 2022
Judge Refuses to Dismiss Lawsuit Over School Arrest of 13-Year-Old...
July 14, 2022
ACLU Statement on the Rejection of Flock Safety Surveillance...
July 12, 2022
Suit Settled Over State Police Exclusion of Twin River Employee...
June 28, 2022
Following Challenge, Former State Trooper Reveals his Name in...
June 9, 2022
Doe v. RI
June 1, 2022